The Exile and The Ice Queen
by AmazonianWolf
Summary: There were rumors of lands to the west, but no one had ever ventured there before. Now, an exile, despised in her homeland, will discover just how true the rumors are. (Rated M to be safe for later chapters)
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Exile!" the judge ruled, and the crowd howled with fury.

She internally winced, but her countenance did not waver as the guards led her from the courthouse past the catcalling and murderous crowds.

"Kill the bitch!"

"Spawn of the Devil!"

"Ought to have died a dog like her traitor father!"

She focused on breathing all the way to the ship docked, waiting for her with her few possessions. _They'll never understand. Not anymore. A generation ago, but not now. The tyrants have already won. I'm only surprised they're not executing me._

The boarding went smoothly and soon, she stood at the bow of the vessel, watching the land disappear over the fading horizon with the dying behind her. With bowed head, she contemplated her future and her past. _I'm sorry, Mom. You always said I was too much like Dad._ She turned from the receding darkness and searched the western horizon and the isolated lands fabled to reside within it for some sign, some answer. _What now?_

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Frozen belongs to its creators. I only claim the OC I created for this story, and the chapters will get longer after this.<em>


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The meeting had gone well, but Elsa still refused to give Weselton any trading deals after his nefarious involvement with Prince Hans' attempt to depose her nine months ago. _How can that insufferable fool believe that I'd rescind the embargo after nine months?_ Elsa thought, placing her hands on the window ledge and leaning in to look out at the sea and gathering ashen clouds. _I wish Anna was still here instead of living with Kristoff closer to the mountains. Olaf even joined them after all the comments from the diplomats._

Sighing, she pushed herself upright and headed for the dining room for dinner and another lonely night. _At least Hans is gone. Now, I just have to hope he doesn't start a war…or anyone else does for that matter now that my powers are revealed._

{}

_That storm doesn't look good_, the exile thought, standing on the deck of the swaying ship as the wind picked up. _Maybe this is why no one has ever journeyed this far west?_

"Captain," she called back towards the helm, "is there no way to avoid the storm?"

"None that I see, Miss Lucien," he shouted back.

_None at all,_ she thought, turning back towards the sea and clutching her thin black jacket around her. _Did I escape execution only to die at sea? Or did they plan for the storm to be my executioner? No, I can't see the officials agreeing on that, not when the public was howling for my blood to be spilled in the streets, preferably by themselves. _

"Miss Lucien!" the Captain shouted down to her as the rain began. "I suggest you get below decks!"

Without acknowledging his words, she turned and headed down into the belly of the vessel, and he shrugged. His orders were only to get her out of the country, not to keep her alive.

Once below the deck and away from prying eyes as the sailors battled the storm, she collected her things into the one small knapsack from her sparse room and slung the bag across her back. _This isn't going to end well._ She pulled the two loose dangling ends of the straps across her stomach and tied them in a tight, multiple knot until little of the material hung down. With that done, she waited at the bottom of the stairs leading to the deck as wind lashed rain hit her face and blew her dark hair out behind her.

As the wind and rain pouring into the ship increased, she bit her bottom lip and thought, _Better to risk being dragged off the deck by wind or waves than to stay here and wait to drown._ She grabbed hold of the railing on either side and slowly made her way up into the hell of the storm.

With the waves beginning to wash over the sides onto the deck, the sailors never saw her. _I doubt they'd bother with me even if they saw me._ The storm had whipped the sea into a rage, and on the horizon, there appeared no end, just the same watery wasteland. _An unmarked watery grave._ She shivered and clung to the railing of the ship as it rocked from a near vertical left to a near vertical right, driving men into the hungry waters. _Did they know? Did they know how bad the weather would be? Have they willingly sacrificed all these men just to be rid of me?_

The waves crashed over her. Freezing water, as if they had voyaged into the artic, drenched her to the marrow, chilling whatever little warmth she had before. _As if it's trying to freeze my heart, _she thought as she felt the core of warmth in her chest fade a little with each dousing.

The ship wrenched and groaned beneath her feet, nearly flinging her over the side. _This thing's coming apart!_ Cracks began to appear in the deck, which now sunk lower as water burst through the hull to join the pool already formed from water sloughing through the stairs from the deck.

Glancing around, she saw the terrified whites of the sailors' eyes and before they moved, she rushed to one of the lifeboats, quickly followed by a stampede of screaming, shouting, ragged men. Shoving away or over the side any who came too close, she rapidly freed the restraints holding the tiny boat to the ship. With the last knot free, she grabbed hold of the side of the dingy as it plummeted the few feet into the raging sea with men falling around her from the sinking vessel.

When the small boat leveled out, she grabbed an oar and pushed it against the ship, propelling herself away into the storm. Men clawed at the sides as she paddled away, and when they tried to clamber over and in, she whacked them with the metal oar, sending them back into the deep. _I can't have any of you following me._ Her arms began to ache, and her body shook from the cold as she left the sinking vessel behind forming a whirlpool, which dragged the remaining sailors down to the bottom.

She never looked back, not even when the screams stopped. She just rowed for what felt like hours in the storm tossed sea, battling the waves as they tried to drown her and capsize the boat. She only paused when the storm faded, and the sky grew light. Dawn was not far off.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Resting, she let the boat drift as she stared at the newborn sky to the east. _Now, what? All those sailors are probably dead, and I don't have a map. Not even a star chart. Then again, no one's ever been here. Hell, those rumors and legends are probably all wrong. I've seen nothing but water. Not even a tiny speck of land, a small island for an ant king or queen. The plan was probably to dump me in the ocean anyway after maybe a week, if even that._

She sat up and looked behind her to the west. Straining her eyes at the horizon, she spied a dark speck. _Not blue, more black as if…land._ Scarcely believing her eyes, she grabbed the oar and began paddling again towards the speck. Her shoulders and arms burned, but she ignored the pain. _If there's a chance…Wait. It could be populated by savages, human sacrificing savages. But would I rather stay and die of thirst within the day?_ Shaking her head, she picked up her pace. _At least on land I can do something about this situation, even if I have to sneak around murderous island tribes._

It seemed to take the whole day, but by evening, the speck had grown to fill almost the entire horizon. There appeared to be a harbor, and a city. _Okay, not hut living island savages. This may not even be an island. It could be an entire new continent! I may well have discovered Atlantis!_

Night fell as she came to the mouth of the harbor with a throat as dry as the desert. She quietly slipped by a large ship in dark as it guarded the entrance. _Are they at war? With whom? Wait, that must mean there are more!_ Unease slipped into her frame and settled in her shoulders. The cold began to creep in again too now that the warmth of the sun had vanished beyond the mountains, enclosing the harbor.

She paddled into the shallows opposite of what appeared to be a huge stone palace. When the bottom of the boat ground into the soft sand beneath the water, she jumped out and began to haul the boat ashore. When the small vessel was fully out of the water, she dropped exhausted onto the white sand as her stomach rumbled. _Do they even speak English? Have they ever even heard of English!?_

She pondered the implications of her predicament and was so engrossed that she did not hear the sharp snap of twig in the forest behind her. Rough, callused hands grabbed her and clapped over her mouth, cutting off any scream. She was dragged off through the trees to another small boat, where she was bound and gagged.

She could not understand the men around her, but she saw the castle loom closer across the water, moonlight shining down upon it as if it held the key to her entire life. They landed at a private dock in the building's shadow, where she was ungagged. However, her hands remained bound behind her as the group trooped through a small door into a brightly lit hall.

She squinted as they led her through a maze of hallways before stopping in front of an impressive oak door. The man she took to be the leader undid the binds on her wrists before opening the door and shoving her inside.

She found herself standing before an impressive, massive dark oak desk in a handsome study lined with shelves of books, but the woman behind the desk was the most magnificent of all. She stood wearing a dress somewhere between light blue and white. It seemed to sparkle in the light. The exile half expected rainbows to bounce off of it. Then, there was her hair, platinum blonde in a slightly messy braid draped over one shoulder, yet it was her eyes which struck the brunette the most. They were an ice blue, framed in thick, long lashes. When she gazed upon her, the exile felt as if they were arrows, piercing through to her very soul, but that apparently wasn't true.

The blonde said something that she couldn't understand and when she received no answer, grew enraged, whereupon ice coated her palms as she stalked towards the brunette, repeating whatever it was that she had said. The exile backed up until her back hit the door, and blonde closed the distance, placing both ice cold hands on either side of the other woman's neck.

"What the hell are you saying!?" the exile managed to choked out, and the blonde released her.

"English?" she asked, more to herself, but the brunette nodded. "Forgive me then," the blonde continued, stepping back. "I was asking what it was that you wanted and why you snuck into my kingdom."

Although that was not quite what she had said, Elsa saw no reason to tell the strange woman exactly what she had said a few moments before.

"Trying not to die of thirst. Can I have some water?" she asked, rubbing throat for emphasis.

"In a little while," Elsa dismissed her question and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you from the Southern Isles?"

"Where's that?"

"Never mind. What's your name?"

"Therese Lucien. And yours?" _Why the fuck can't she just give me some water? And where the hell is the Southern Isles? Are they at war with each other? Would make sense for this interrogation?_

Elsa's eyes narrowed before she answered, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle." _How can she not know?_

"Very well. My servants, don't worry they speak English as well, will see to it that you get your water, food, and a bed for the night," she announced before opening the door behind Therese. "Gerda, take this young woman to the kitchen and then place her in one of the guest rooms."

As she left, she said over her shoulder, "Good night."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Elsa's mind was in an uproar as she lounged in her bath. She sunk lower, so the water lapped under her chin. _How can she not know? After everything that happened with Hans and Weselton, everyone throughout all of the kingdoms knows of me and my powers. Well, she certainly knows of my ability now. But then what is she doing here? Where did she come from? Her manner of dress is slightly different from any that I've seen or heard of. She does not seem to know of the Southern Isles, but that could just mean she's a good spy…or assassin. _She shivered despite the hot water, steaming in the cooling air of the November night.

_Either way, I'll have to keep a close watch on her._

_{}_

The kind old woman named Gerda showed Therese to the kitchens, where she was given a lukewarm bowl of French onion soup and a tall glass of cold water. Ravenous from a day or more without food, she devoured it without a second thought for propriety. She didn't even notice the staff staring at her odd, sand-coated clothes and knapsack.

"Come along, hun," Gerda said after she was finished. "Let's get you a bath before heading to bed."

"Right," she agreed, looking down at her grimy clothing. "And some clean clothes would help."

Gerda chuckled, "There might be some of the Princess's old clothes left here that fit you or there are the Queen's from before her coronation."

She nodded absentmindedly. _The rumors are true, but how do they know English without knowing about Europe, North America, and all the other continents? And why were the Queen's hands covered in ice!?_

"Gerda," she started to ask as the servant led her into a guest room and began to fill a tub in an adjoining bathroom with hot water, "why were the Queen's hands covered in ice?"

The old servant barely paused in her task before answering, "Because of her powers, dear."

"Powers?" _No, I've got to be going insane and misheard her._

"Yes. She was born with them. She can control ice and snow."

_Okay, I didn't mishear. Maybe I'm delirious with fever or dying of thirst from being out at sea? Maybe I've hallucinated all of this?_

"There," Gerda announced, straightening up. "I'll go find some clothes for you while you bathe. Just leave those old ones on the floor for a maid to get tomorrow morning. I'll leave new ones on the bed in the other room."

She left, gently shutting the door behind her. Shrugging, Therese stripped out of her shipwrecked clothes and gingerly stepped into the tub. She nearly jumped back out from the heat. Biting her lip, she slowly sat down in the water and grabbed a washcloth. As she adjusted to the temperature, she attacked the almost glued-on sand with ferocity, scrubbing until the protests of her abused skin became too much.

Relaxing, she thought back to her meeting with Arendelle's queen. _She's hostile and suspicious of me, okay. She can turn me into an ice sculpture, check. So, what am I doing still here? She obviously doesn't want me around and will probably freeze me if I make one wrong move._

Shaking her head, Therese gingerly got out of the bath and dried off. _None of this makes sense._

She wrapped the towel around herself and cautiously cracked the door open. Looking around the room, she spotted no one and spied clothes left on the bed. She quickly padded over to them and changed into the undergarments before pulling on the nightgown. Pausing after pulling it on, she lifted the cloth up to her nose and deeply inhaled. _Who'd wear perfume in a lonely place like this?_ She pressed her nose harder against the soft material, trying to inhale more of the faint scent. _Smells like roses and jasmine._ Shrugging, she moved the other clothes to a dresser and left her knapsack by the side of the bed before snuggling into the covers, where she promptly fell asleep.

{}

"Is she awake?" Elsa asked as Gerda served her breakfast in the dining room.

Sunlight streamed in through the large, high windows, overlooking the harbor, to fall upon the long cedar table that could easily seat a party of fifty. The golden light leaped around the queen and seemed to form a halo around her to then radiate out from her regal form.

"No, the poor dear was exhausted," Gerda answered, setting down a plate of strawberries and cheese. "I gave her some of your old clothes to wear until hers are cleaned or she finds some new ones."

Elsa nearly choked on her food. "How old?" she coughed as Gerda hurried to her side.

"From right before your coronation, dear," the old woman answered after Elsa recovered. "A queen can't wear those old things after she's been crowned."

"Why?" she exclaimed now red in the face.

"Because Princess Anna's clothes wouldn't fit her as well," Gerda answered before taking the dirty tableware and leaving.

Elsa groaned and sunk lower in the chair, where she remained for a minute before heading off to meet her councilors. _I can't afford distractions today._


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Light slipped in through the drawn maroon curtains and fell over Therese's closed eyes. Groggily, she awoke, squinting against the light, and sat up, promptly wincing as her muscles protested, screaming in anguish over the previous day's abuse. _Well, I won't be doing that again anytime soon. I probably won't even be able to really move for the next week._ She climbed unsteadily out of bed and dressed in a mix of mostly her own clothes and those that Gerda had left the night before. _At least I thought to bring half my clothes, but I only had that one pair of boots. Sorry, Gerda, but I don't wear dresses._ She pulled on the flat, worn shoes last before sticking her head out the door, where she promptly came almost nose to nose with a palace guard.

He just stared down at her from his post with a rifle resting against his side with the butt touching the floor. _Oh, how I dislike excessively tall people. They always look down their noses at people. Well, I'll have you know that Lady Gaga is shorter than me, and she's __**far**__ better than __**you**__ can even comprehend, in fact most of us are. We actually accomplish things instead of walking around as puffed up peacocks like those who consigned me to the sea._

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked him.

He shrugged, saying "My job."

"And that is?" she hissed.

"Making sure you don't wander," he replied, looking down his bent nose at her.

"Well, then am I allowed to _at least_ go have breakfast," she replied, her voice dripping in ice.

He shrugged again, evidently not caring and looking bored. _Just like those sailors._

Fuming, she walked down the hall, muttering curses and hearing him follow her. She found Gerda in the kitchens.

"Gerda, can you get this flea off my tail?" Therese irately asked, jerking her thumb at the trailing guard.

The old woman looked past the tall, bored man in the doorway for a moment before saying, "Your services are no longer required."

His face went from flat boredom to shocked horror with a gaping mouth in a second as the words sank in and blubbered, "But..but."

"You are not needed," Gerda repeated. "The young woman is tired, _exhausted_. Obviously incapable of any real harm to Queen Elsa and any attempt at escape from a well-armed and patrolled castle, sitting on an island with one land bridge and the Arendelle Royal Navy at anchor in the harbor. It is also full daylight."

Tossing a glare at Therese, who ignored him, he left.

"Thanks," she told Gerda as she sat down at the small table in the center of the room. _Reminds me of the kitchen in Downton Abbey._

"It was no problem dear," the servant answered, bringing her the left over strawberries from Elsa's breakfast and some freshly baked bread. "I only wonder why Elsa would have him hover over you. I mean really. All I said was true."

_Perhaps because she thinks I'm a spy? Well, it wouldn't be the first time that people in power find me treacherous and underhanded, perpetually scheming._

_{}_

"Your Majesty," a stout, old man with a white, bristly beard began. "The Navy's strength comes to 108 ships: 37 ships of the line, 27 frigates, 5 gunboats, 12 sloops, 14 destroyers, and 13 other vessels with experimental steam power to fuel them."

"It should have a strength of 150," Elsa stated, reviewing the sheets in front of her. "Weselton's navy is at 200 ships with fifty now equipped with steam power. We cannot afford to be caught at a disadvantage. Inform Admiral Casselton that I want a thorough report on the fighting ability of each ship within the next week. What about the marines?"

"Strength stands at 9,000 marines, a little over half of whom are serving aboard ships. The rest are stationed at Forts Alexander and Winter. Reserve forces amount to 12,000 spread throughout the kingdom. 2,455 of the reservists are currently serving at the forts."

"Do we know approximately how many Weselton has?" she asked from her seat at the head of the table.

"I'm afraid not, Your Majesty."

She nodded saying, "You are dismissed, except for Mr. Dale."

Rising and bowing, her council of advisors exited the room. Mr. Dale lingered at the table, watching her. He silently waited for her to speak.

"Tell the spies to focus on finding out his military strength and whether he's communicating with Prince Hans," she finally whispered, not looking up.

He nodded, rose, bowed, and left, quietly shutting the door behind him. She remained seated at the table, staring down at the papers. _Will they come?_

{}

"Can I ask why you disliked him so?" Gerda asked, passing a dirty plate to a cook's boy.

"The way he looked down his nose at me," Therese answered, leaning back in her chair. "Many really tall people have done that to me in my short life, and each one was so smug and arrogant because he or she was so much taller than I am. I greatly enjoyed bringing them down in sports and witty conversations."

"Ah," Gerda answered. "People were like that with the Queen before everyone saw what her powers could do. Not the part of smugness of course. Many just saw her as weaker because of her less than average height."

"I like her more then," she commented. _At least everyone knows not to mess with her and insinuate that she's somehow less they are._ "When do I meet her again?"

"After her morning meeting," Gerda answered before heading for the door, "which should be over very soon."

Therese quickly stood and followed her out of the kitchen.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Gerda stopped before the same oak door as the night before and knocked. "Your Majesty? She's here."

"Come in," Elsa called.

Gerda opened the door for her, and Therese entered to find the queen at her desk. Dressed in an ice blue dress that shimmered in the morning light, she was as impressive as ever and appeared just as cold. _She's like a rod of steel!_ Therese heard the door click shut behind her, but she remained standing by the door.

Elsa glanced up and briefly gestured at a chair in front of her desk. "Please, sit."

Obeying what was more of a command, she cautiously walked over and lowered herself onto the edge of the seat as the queen coolly observed her from under her long lashes. _She doesn't trust me, but I shouldn't have expected that in the first place. Not after last night._ Meanwhile, Therese was making her own observations. _She wields ice. Does that mean that ice runs in her veins? It would explain her lack of warmth in interactions. I don't think I've seen her do anything other than command and intimidate._

Finished with the paper in front of her, Elsa sat back and folded her hands before inquiring, "You have been treated well so far?"

Eyeing the blonde with slightly narrow grey orbs, she quipped, "Other than your interrogation and the guard outside my room this morning? Yes."

Elsa internally flinched, but calmly met her gaze. "I apologize for that. The security of my kingdom is of tantamount importance."

"Yeah, I understand that," Therese answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just object to arrogance."

Furrowing her brow, the queen asked, "And when did you encounter it?" _Surely, I did not come across as that?_

"Your guard," she answered. "Seems like he thinks he's hot stuff because of his uniform."

"I see," Elsa said simply. "I'll inform the Captain. It's his decision who joins the Royal Guard." _It appears that the guards need manners and tact as much as skill and strength._ _I wonder if Inez has forgotten that as well with the Queen's Guard?_

"What was it you wanted?" Therese asked, pulling the queen from her musings.

"Your clothes," she replied, gesturing at her jeans and plain shirt. _Perhaps she'll answer truthfully?_

"Ever heard of North America?"

"North America?" Elsa asked, perplexed. _Is this a dream?_

"Yes," Therese answered, leaning forward slightly. _Has she actually heard of it?_

"The lands to the east?" _Did I hear her right?_

"Well, yes. I did sail west."

"Out of the ocean?" Elsa asked, eyeing her.

"Yeeeees," she said, confused. _I don't get this._

"You do realize you're talking of a myth?" the queen ventured with an impassive face.

"A myth?" Therese asked, eyebrows popping up and quirking a grin. "You've got to be joking. I was just rotting in a cell last week."

"Uhuh," Elsa slowly nodded. _Should I call the guards or not? She doesn't seem dangerous, just mad, but her clothes?_ "I think that'll be all for now."

Recognizing the dismissal and completely bewildered, Therese stood and left. The door closed with a quiet click behind her and only then did she noticed the two guards lurking in the shadows outside the study. Paying them no mind, she wandered down the hallway. _This is…unexpected. They've heard of home,…well what was home, but they don't believe in it. So how can she speak English? This makes no sense. People would have had to cross the ocean from one place to another at some point in recent history. North and South America were only really known and named by the 1600s. Her English is not Shakespearean; it's more like turn of the century, modern English without any slang._

Stopping before a window looking out to the sea, she idly leaned forward and blankly looked out to the opening of the harbor. _This is unexpected._ She leaned her forehead against the glass. _Well, Therese, you always wanted an adventure._

{}

_Well, that could have gone better._ Elsa warily removed her head from her hands and looked around the study. _Instead of a spy, I might well have a lunatic wandering my castle. I don't know what's worse. Maybe Inez can keep a more discreet eye on her._

"Inform Captain Catton that I wish to speak with her immediately," she called to the guards outside the study before turning back to the financial paper on the desk before her.

"Your Majesty," a woman called as she knocked before entering about half an hour later. "Sorry to keep you waiting, ma'am. I was overseeing new recruits in the south courtyard."

"It's fine, Captain," Elsa waved away the excuse as the woman shut the door. "I just have a concern…or two that I'd like to discuss with you, Inez."

Inez nodded but remained and sure that whatever it was would not take long.

"You remember the woman who arrived last night?" the Queen, watching her, asked.

"Yes, the possible spy."

"Or possible madwoman," Elsa commented, and Inez frowned. "But we'll get to that later. First, I trust that your guards all remember and follow the rule that they must be diplomatic in exchanges and not provoke any negative reactions from people staying as guests?"

"Yes. Might I inquire as to what has happened?"

Sighing, Elsa elaborated and pinched the bridge of her nose, "It would appear that the guard that Eric sent to watch the woman was quite arrogant and otherwise unfit for the job of simply watching her for any signs, despite my explicit directions. He may well have been trying to provoke her into some sort of confession or more likely a murderous act. I don't know, but now she will be more suspicious and possibly become less cooperative, which might already be manifesting."

Abruptly, the Queen stood and walked over to a window. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. _Things are becoming far more complicated with her in the mix._

"Anyway," she continued and glanced back at Inez, "she may well be insane or simply a very clever actress."

Shaking her head, Elsa turned back to the window and said, "She has this very morning claimed that she has come from the mythical lands to the east and knows nothing of Weselton! She didn't even know the name until I said it!"

"Your Majesty," Inez replied, "if I may suggest it, I believe that it would be best to keep the woman close…in the castle if that is possible. Also, I strongly advise keeping at least two guards near you at all times until we figure this out. As for her claims, perhaps the sea sapped her sanity."

"Thank you," Elsa whispered. _I need to get more rest soon before I faint from exhaustion._

"My pleasure, my Queen," she answered and briefly bowed before leaving, "And if it's any consolation, I saw Eric upbraiding that young man for his conduct. He was also talking of expulsion."

Elsa briefly grinned at that. _Well, at least he'll learn the price of disobeying direct orders, and so will his fellows._ She looked out over Arendelle again. _Now, how do I handle this…development?_


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_Well, it's been several days, and she's avoiding me. Now what, Therese?_ she asked herself as she rested her chin in her hand and her elbow on the ledge while gazing out of a window in the deserted library towards the gray and white mountains. _You arrive to dinner; she's taking hers in the study. You wake up before dawn; she takes breakfast in bed. Can't hang around her study or the council room. The guards don't take well to it and glare at me._

Sighing, she pushed back from the windowsill. _Maybe Gerda can get them to let me out of the castle for awhile, just around the outer rim of this rock for a walk. Can't ask the captain myself. She always looks ready to skewer me._ Therese glanced around the shadowy room. _At least this place is deserted. More comforting than the other parts of the castle, too. Plenty of places to hide and observe the goings on, that is, if there __**were**__ any goings on._

Pursing her lips, Therese walked to the large double doors of the library and rested a hand on one of the knobs. _How can she possibly fear me this much when I haven't done anthing but wash ashore?_

{}

_I've gotta stop doing this, _Elsa thought with her head in her hands. _I can't avoid her forever in my own castle._ She looked up at the door, then the bookcase, and finally the window. _I can't tell what Weselton's up to. Hans is locked in a dungeon on a small isle far to the south. Whoever Therese is…I don't think either one sent her here._ She frowned before straightening back up. _Perhaps if I had dinner with her tonight, she might reveal something about her purpose here. Just a slip of the tongue, that's all I need._

"Tell Gerda I wish to speak with her at the soonest possibility," she called before trying to review the trade agreement with Corona.

Giving up soon after, she leaned back and pinched the bridge of her nose. _I need to figure this out._

She faintly heard the knock and lowered her hand while calling, "Come in."

"Your Majesty," said Gerda after entering and curtseying. "You wished to speak with me?"

"Yes," Elsa replied. "What have you observed about…our guest?"

"She appears to be a very frustrated young woman who takes to pacing like a caged wolf," Gerda answered. "She also possesses a great love of food."

"Food?" _Well, maybe I can use that._

"Yes, your Majesty. She's been perpetually stealing snacks from the kitchen over the last three days," Gerda said in mock exasperation and shook her head while trying to hide a small smile. "Reminds me of you when you were little."

Elsa grimaced at the comparison. _Gerda, I am nothing like that insane woman._ "Gerda, I plan on taking dinner in the dining room tonight. Inform the cooks that their orders are to make something…impressive, but small. Therese can join me this evening if she is so inclined."

Gerda nodded and left.

Elsa sighed. _Let's hope I don't make a fool of myself tonight._

{}

_What does one wear to dine with a queen? _Therese mused before the wooden wardrobe. _Well, I can't wear what Gerda's given me, at least not the dresses. That'd be awkward, showing up wearing the queen's old clothes._ She shuddered and then glanced down at herself. _Well, I've got my black boots and a decent pair of black jeans. _She rummaged through the clothes in the wooden box before finding and pulling out an elegant, silk, short-sleeved, white shirt. _Well, this'll have to do. Now, I just have to not mess up._

Finished with tucking in the shirt, she headed for the dining room. _Now, what to say. What to say. Can't just blurt out rapid fire questions about why she thinks North America is a legend like Atlantis and Lemuria. Better just roll along for most of the evening. Slip it into the conversation later. They're serving wine, right?_

Stepping into the warm, shadowy room, Therese nearly gaped at the display of food on the table. Although it was only the first course, the aroma alone nearly bowled her over when the door shut behind her. The table shone against the dancing light of a single candelabra filled with tall red candles, but all of it outshone the woman sitting on the other side and already partaking of the delicious red soup.

Wearing a light blue ice dress that revealed bare shoulders, Elsa was casually consuming red liquid. She smiled when Therese entered and timidly walked towards the table. _That soup and her lips make her look like a vampire._ Elsa had momentarily paused with the spoon hovering before her lips until Therese had started moving nearer. _I bet I could see her eyes reflected in the liquid in that spoon._ The liquid itself cast a faint red glimmer over the Queen's red eyes.

Therese nearly walked into the table and slightly tripped before dropping into the chair across from the Ice Queen while continuing to watch in strange, utter fascination. _This is going to be a long night._


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Well, this is interesting. She stares that intently at food? _Elsa continued eating her soup after a pause when Therese entered. _At least she's wearing a normal shirt, and I suppose those boots could pass. But those trousers? Never, far too outlandish and exotic!_

Therese slumped into the chair across from her and after several more increasingly uncomfortable moments, nervously looked down at her own soup. _Okay…now this is very weird. She was obviously staring at more than the soup, but…that doesn't make sense._ Elsa slowly raised her wine glass and drank a sip of the cabernet sauvignon before replacing it to the right of her plate. Therese internally groaned. _Why? Why does she have to do everything so slowly and why do I have to feel like this? All I wanted was to get home or back across the sea at least. What! Wanted?!_

She sat up straighter and stared off over the queen's head at a window as pale, silver moonlight slipped in and spilled across the stone wall and floor in an ethereal waterfall. _Not as beautiful as her though. Did I just think that?_ She glanced back at her.

_What is she thinking?_ Elsa thought and took another sip before asking, "I trust that your stay has been far more pleasant since our last conversation?"

"Almost," Therese answered with her voice low and thick before swallowing and beginning to partake of the soup before her.

"Only almost?" the queen inquired with a raised eyebrow. _Well, if you had expected me to let you waltz in and manipulate state secrets from my lips, then you are sorely delusional. Have you not heard of what I alone did to my __**own**__ kingdom in a moment of panic?_

"Yes, almost," she whispered back. _Perfect if only weren't still so distant and formal with me._ "I have been unable to speak with you since about my…situation here in your castle."

"Well, I am a queen and therefore busy with my kingdom," Elsa quickly replied as their finished dishes were replaced with the main course.

"Yes, I understand that," she commented and frowned, "but as an important guest in you palace, I expected far more time with you…or was I presuming far too much, Your Majesty?"

"I suppose you were," Elsa said and narrowed her eyes. "And what, pray tell, makes you believe you are an important guest in my abode?"

"Well," Therese began between bites of broccoli, "there is your reaction to my home, or former home, I should say." She laid her fork back on the plate and delicately wiped her mouth on the black linen napkin before replacing it across her lap.

_How does she know to do that?_ Elsa resisted the urge to cock her head to the side as she observed the gesture. _She's never appeared this well-mannered before…or is it because I have never observed her this close for this long before?_ "As I was saying, your reaction was not what I had predicted nor was the aftermath of it."

"And why is that?"

"Well, I certainly didn't expect to be considered for a looney bin," Therese snorted and glowered across the polished, shining dark wood. "Or to be isolated for the truth afterwards…though I suppose I should have seen that one coming."

_Whatever could she mean by that? _Intrigued, Elsa unconsciously leaned forward as she inquired, "Suppose?"

Therese narrowed her eyes at that and hissed, "None of your damned business." _There's the woman I've come to know,_ Elsa thought with chagrin. _And just when I thought I was making progress._

"Very well," she backed off as the dessert arrived, and Therese gaped at the smaller replica of the very palace that she was seated inside. "You shall have the left wing…and even the center if you so wish."

"You don't want it?" Therese asked and briefly raised an eyebrow. _How could anyone not want it? It's oozing hot chocolate fudge already!_

"No, I am mostly quite full already and also quite used to these sorts of desserts," Elsa replied, sounding bored as she began to eat a chocolate wall.

"Liar," Therese mumbled too low for her to hear.

After they had finished, Therese offered the queen her arm, and with a briefly raised eyebrow, Elsa accepted it as the strange young woman led them to the doors of the dining room, where she released her and bowed.

"It has been a pleasure, Your Majesty, and I wish you a good night," Therese said before heading down the hall for her own room.

Elsa lingered and watched her disappear around the corner before sighing and heading for her own bed with a grimace. _That could have gone better._


End file.
